1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an active suspension system for an automotive vehicle. More specifically, the invention relates to a fluid circuit for supplying and draining working medium fluid through the active suspension system.
2. Description of the Background Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,490, issued on Oct. 27, 1987 which has been assigned to the common owner to the present invention, discloses one of typical construction of an actively controlled suspension system, in which a hydraulic cylinder defining a working chamber is disposed between a vehicular body and a suspension member rotatably supporting a vehicular wheel. The working chamber of the hydraulic cylinder is communicated with a hydraulic circuit including a pressurized working fluid source. A pressure control valve, such as an proportioning valve assembly, is disposed in the hydraulic circuit, which is connected to an electric or electronic control circuit to be controlled the valve position. The pressure control valve is controlled the valve position by a suspension control signal produced in the control circuit for adjusting pressure in the working chamber and whereby controlling suspension characteristics.
On the other hand, European Patent Nos. 0 283 004, 0 285 153 and 0 284 053 discloses technologies for controlling the suspension systems constructed as set forth above, depending upon the vehicle driving condition for suppressing rolling and/or pitching of the vehicular body.
In one of the typical construction of the hydraulic circuit includes a pressure source unit which comprises a fluid pump drivingly associated with an automotive internal combustion engine so as to be driven by the engine output torque. The fluid pump is generally rated to produce rated pressure which is selected in view of the required line pressure in a supply line for supplying the pressurized fluid to the working chamber, at the minimum revolution speed of the engine so that the working fluid pressure to be supplied to the working chamber of the hydraulic cylinder can be satisfactorily high at any engine driving range. As will be appreciated, the output pressure of the fluid pump increases according increasing of the engine revolution speed. Therefore, at high engine revolution speed range, excessive pressure in excess of a predetermined maximum line pressure is relieved via a relief valve. Therefore, the engine output can be wasted to degrade engine driving performance as a power plant for the automotive vehicle and thus degrade fuel economy.
On the other hand, in the practical operation of the active suspension system, the fluid pressure in the working chamber in the hydraulic cylinder can be maintained at constant value for maintaining a desired vehicular height, at substantially low vehicle speed range or while the vehicle is not running. Despite this fact, the prior proposed hydraulic circuits for the actively controlled suspension systems supply the rated pressure of the fluid pump which should be higher than a minimum line pressure required for adjustment of the fluid pressure in the working chamber. In order to maintain the rated pressure to be output from the fluid pump, substantial engine output will be consumed even at the low vehicle speed range, in which the line pressure is not required for no possibility of adjustment of the suspension characteristics.
Improvement in the hydraulic circuit for the prior proposed active suspension system has been proposed in the co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 331,602, filed on Mar. 31, 1989, U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,468, which application has been commonly assigned to the common assignee to the present invention. The corresponding invention to the above-identified co-pending U.S. Patent Application has been published as Japanese Patent First (unexamined) Publication (Tokkai) Heisei No. 1-249509, published on Oct. 4, 1989. The prior invention has been directed to a hydraulic circuit for an actively controlled suspension system which employs first and second pressure relief valves disposed in a hydraulic pressure source circuit for relieving excessive pressure. The second pressure relief valve is provided a lower relief pressure than that of the first pressure relief valve. Means for selectively connecting and disconnecting the second pressure relief valve is disposed in the hydraulic pressure source circuit at an orientation upstream of the second pressure relief valve. The means is positioned at shut-off position to disconnect the second pressure relief valve when a vehicle traveling speed is higher than a predetermined speed. The means is responsive to the vehicle speed lower than the predetermined speed for establishing connection between a pressurized fluid source to the second relief valve for relieving the pressure at lower level than that established when the vehicle speed is higher than the predetermined speed.
Furthermore, the prior proposed invention includes a pilot pressure operated operational one-way check valve in a drain line for regulating line pressure to be supplied to a pressure control valve which adjusts fluid pressure in a working chamber in a hydraulic cylinder disposed between a vehicle body and a suspension member rotatably supporting a road wheel, by draining excessive line pressure. Similar hydraulic circuit constructions have also been disclosed in European Patent First Publications Nos. 0 318 721, 0 318 932 for example.
Such prior proposed hydraulic circuit does provide improved characteristics for the active suspension system in certain aspect. However, the prior proposed system still encounters a drawback in response characteristics of the pressure control valve unit by the presence of back pressure due to flow resistance in the drain line.
For preventing this, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 454,785, filed on Dec. 26, 1989, U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,979, discloses a hydraulic circuit construction which can absorb back pressure in a drain line. The hydraulic circuit for an active suspension system employs a pressure accumulator connected to a drain line at an orientation upstream of a pilot operated operational one-way check valve. The pressure accumulator absorbs back pressure generated in the drain line due to flow resistance in the drain line. Such hydraulic circuit construction is effective for avoiding influence of back pressure to be induced in the drain line and thus enhances drain characteristics for providing better response characteristics in the active suspension system.
In such a prior proposed system, the pressure accumulator disposed in the drain line is set a gas pressure slightly lower than the possible minimum pressure of the working fluid pressure in the hydraulic circuit. In practice, the gas pressure is set at 80 to 90% of the possible minimum hydraulic pressure so that pressure transfer medium, such as piston, diaphragm or so forth, should not be damged by collision onto the inner periphery of the accumulator housing even at the minimum fluid pressure in the drain line. As can be appreciated, in view of practical installation onto the vehicular body, the drain line piping is inevitably long and has small path area to serve as resistance against the fluid flow through the drain line. Therefore, when valve position in the pressure control valve is abruptly changed to cause substantial reduction of the fluid flowing into the drain line, the fluid pressure in the drain line can be lowered at a level lower than the gas pressure. In such case, the pressure accumulator becomes ineffective for absorbing surge pressure in the drain line. Therefore, the surge pressure may affect to the control pressure to be supplied to the working chamber of the active cylinder to cause degradation of the riding comfort. Furthermore, such surge pressure may cause collision of the pressure transferring medium onto a stopper to shorten life thereof.